NFKB1 and diabetes mellitus: It should be noted that inflammation plays a major role in the pathogenesis of both retinal neurodegeneration and early microvascular impairment induced by diabetes [6], and NF-κB is the transcription factor which governs the production of most of proinflammatory cytokines (e.g., TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8, MCP-1) [35].